Newspaper Blackout Poems

(Above) The poet Austin Kleon.

(You REALLY have to click on these images to read them!)




(Click on image to read!)



FROM HIS PHOTOGRAPH AND ESPECIALLY HIS ART, AUSTIN KLEON LOOKS LIKE THE KIND OF GUY I’D LIKE TO KNOW. And why not? He is incredibly creative, has a sense of humor and is an American original.

What you are looking at here are examples of his “blackout poetry,” his way of creating prose by finding the words he wishes to keep within a story or article in the newspaper— and blacking out the rest with a permanent marker. Like a stone carver, Kleon “cuts away” the parts he doesn’t need and keeps the parts that are essential to his “found” poem. I think it is great. The final words Austin “keeps” have to fall within a readable order—giving us newly “discovered” poems that are poignant, funny, right-on and right for our times.

Austin lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Meg and his book: Newspaper Blackout Poems, was published by Harper Collins in February 2010. Learn more about Austin Kleon by visiting his Web site here.

Batman in Japan

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YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE BATMAN—IN ANY CULTURE. But when you cross fertilize the American Batman with the Japanese, he’s even more cool.

Via here.

Tuna Carpaccio P.I.

(Above) Tuna Carpaccio P.I.

(Above) Valerie the Weasel

(Above) Sharky, owner of Sharky’s Steak & Stein

(Above) Roy, Owner of the 4/4 Standard

(Above) Tuna’s secretary, Pamela.

(Above) Lenny the Weasel

(Above) Jose Maria De Jesus

(Above) Sketches in the character development




(Above) A typical strip, click for larger view.

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TONY CHAVIRA & JOSH DUNLAP are partners in crime. The two concept, write and draw an on-line comic strip called Tuna Carpaccio P.I. It’s an awesome strip and reveals a great on-going dialogue between the two creators. Josh wants the strip to be very noir and Tony wants the strip to be sort of Looney-toonish. The result is a great blend of hot creative talent.

This is a good time to catch up on the past strips, as the two are going to take a break for the month of January to recharge their batteries. I can dig it!

Find out more about Tuna Carpaccio P.I., here.

Tuna Carpaccio P.I.
Tuna Carpaccio is the greatest P.I. in town, maybe even on Earth! But that’s only one of the many thousands of things Tuna is amazing at, up to and including various such things as:

- Cluing
- Detectiving
- Lead-Following
- Sluthing (Sloothing?)
- Private Eyeing
- Etc.

Tuna’s Secretary, Pamela

Pamela’s background and qualifications are outlined extensively on her Curriculum Vitae, which includes her formal training as an investment banker, experience as a certified public accountant, and most recent position at an international human resources consultancy. Currently, she is Tuna Carpaccio’s professional office manager and can be reached during their business hours.

Police Detective Aurora Malta

Possibly the only honest cop in town, Detective Malta fights a relentless war on crime in the city. Willing to go deep undercover or jump right into the action, Detective Malta does what the job requires to save the lives of the innocent people in her fair city, day in and day out.

Roy, Owner of The 4/4 Standard

A local businessman and club owner, Roy runs a clean and legitimate operation in a town known for less-than-reputable venues for less-than-reputable characters. But Roy’s got his ship running tight with bouncers at every door and security prowling the walkways. So stroll down to the 4/4 Standard for some good clean fun, got it?

Sharky, Owner of Sharky’s Steak & Stein

Sharky’s a legitimate small business owner on the outskirts of town. Everyone’s welcome to drop by any time they want as long as they’ve got the cash to back up their cravings. Sharky’s promise is that everyone drink’s $3.95, no matter what you order. Heads up, the glasses are all the same size though.

Jose Maria De Jesus

People in town all seem to think that Jose Maria De Jesus is an amoral, murderous criminal, but they have him all wrong. De Jesus is a simple man with simple motivations. Look, you wouldn’t let a few flies that have splattered themselves over your windshield stop you from enjoying your cross-country trip, would you? You’ve spent all summer waiting for that trip! De Jesus wants you to have an amazing time! In fact, kill as many flies as you like… then kill a few more just to round up the number. It is a vacation, after all.

Valery the Weasel

Valery is a poor girl that’s been put in a bad place by a bad bad man. Little ol’ Valery really needs and appreciates everyone’s support as she grieves for her passed husband, Lenny the Weasel. She tries to hold her head up high and keep up her singing career, but it’s tough. She thanks you for all of your letters and flowers.

Lenny the Weasel

Lenny works doing this and that for the usual go-to guys around town. A guy’s gotta make a living, you understand. Besides, he’s done pretty good for himself lately, as long as he can keep his cash from his so-called “loving wife’s” sticky fingers. You know, the ones that stick to the trigger? I think you catch my drift, buddy. Good thing Lenny considers everyone his friend or he’d have no one to back him up.

Art Excavation

(click on any image for a larger view)



THANKS TO FELLOW BLOGGER Trixie Treats, I was able to discover these wonderful paintings by an artist named Greg Gossel. Greg uses a variety of materials and techniques on these 2 to 3 foot canvases, like silkscreen, acrylic, collage, spray paint, paint stick, paper white out, etc. What I like about these is the raw, multi-layered approach, like decayed billboards over time. Lichtenstein’s work is a bland chicken broth compared to this spicy jambalaya—a mixture of found, appropriated and excavated pop culture, comics, old advertisments, grafitti and paint. (Of course, we may not even be looking at Gossel’s work without the ground-breaking work of Lichtenstein, Warhol and the others, so apologies to them!) This is hipster-styled street art ready to hang.

Check out Greg’s art at: www.greggossel.com.